


Deels on Wheels.

by ctm_pupcake



Category: Call the Midwife
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-10-31 16:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10903314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ctm_pupcake/pseuds/ctm_pupcake
Summary: This is a Call the Midwife, Patsy and Delia modern AU. It's mostly set in Margate, and it shows their first meeting and follows their relationship in a modern day setting.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic, so any feedback appreciated!

Delia hastily pulled her sleek black hair into a high ponytail, tying a black jacket around her waist, the perfect accompaniment to the white T-shirt she wore almost daily, with the multi-coloured polka dots scattered across it, before grabbing her skateboard, lacing up her converse trainers and heading out of her house, a bright smile painted on her nude lips. 

Skating dreamily through the beautiful ancient streets of the small seaside town she felt privileged to be a part of, Delia was where she felt happiest. She lived for the moments when she could let go of any negative feelings she harboured, and escape into her own world, feeling the warm Spring breeze on her face, the exhilaration of skating through the town she loved. Passing all her favourite shops, book clutched in hand, visiting the library that was her second home, and the unique one of a kind clothing stores she adored, before stopping at Val's Coffee, the vintage cafe where her closest friend, Valerie, worked, where Delia could obsessively enthuse to her heart's content about all the books she loved and devoured, the characters she felt she knew and connected with, without feeling like she was talking too much about her favourite female leads and protagonists.

Suddenly, Delia swerved dramatically, realising she was merely a whisker away from crashing into a figure walking towards her. Jolted rudely out of her blissful thoughts, her foot slipped off the board, and she crashed head over heels into the figure, feeling a sharp, searing pain shoot into her ankle and spread to her calf, like a sharpened stake.

"Owww..." Delia heard herself say, as if from a distance, as she slowly realised the situation, returning to reality as the pain in her ankle intensified.  
"Are you okay?" Delia heard, prompting her to snap back instantly into reality, remembering the person she had crashed into.  
"Oh crumbs, I'm so sorry," gasped Delia, the Welsh prominent in her voice, as it always was when she was embarrassed.  
She looked to the side, where the woman's rather posh English voice came from, and was caught off guard by the simple beauty she possessed. Intense embarrassment working its way from the pit of her stomach up to her increasingly tomato coloured face, Delia felt her stomach flip and heartbeat multiply as she took in the woman before her. The moment she saw her, Delia was struck by her hair; it was like no other shade of red she had ever seen! The radiance of her shiny, smooth fiery hair, styled in a half up, half down fashion, stunned Delia into silence.

Feeling like a hopeless young teenager overcome with the feelings typical of a colossal crush, Delia shook herself mentally, realising with another jolt of humiliation what she must look like. Delia noticed the height of the woman, noticeable even though she was seated close to Delia on the quiet pavement, and the effortless elegance she naturally held, despite the casual way she was dressed, the checked flannel shirt, black leggings, denim jacket, long oriental themed necklace and strong dark brown laced up boots. Eyes scanning over all this, Delia felt butterflies in her stomach, palpitations in her chest and her mind felt how an abstract painting looks.

"Are... you okay?"  
Delia groaned internally.  
"Deels, you're an absolute fool," she told herself inwardly, cursing her stupidity and awkwardness.  
"Yep," chirped Delia, realising too late how forced and false she sounded, attempting to correct herself. Clearing her throat, "yes, yes... oh God, I'm so sorry... I didn't hurt you, did I?"  
The woman's husky laugh again caused Delia's stomach to flip.  
"No, I'm quite sturdy really!" laughed the woman, a playful smile dancing through her bright blue eyes, portraying itself on her plump red lips.

Another sharp jolt of pain broke the gaze between the two, as Delia gasped, instinctively reaching to her ankle. Concern replaced the playful teasing humour on the woman's face. "Are you hurt?"  
Delia shook her head aggressively, the strong feisty and proud aspect of her personality showing through. The woman's face softened. "I'm a nurse, you know. Let me look, I can tell you're in pain, sometimes one must stop being so damn stubborn and accept help,"she declared, the playful smile upon her simply made up face, already sussing out Delia in the space of a few minutes, showing her natural intuitiveness and caring nature. Stubborn as she was to act brave and not show she was in pain, Delia felt compelled to listen to the woman, feeling under her spell.

As the woman gently took off Delia's shoe, pulling the leg of her skinny jeans up with some difficulty, yet still with the gentle touch of a feather, Delia was struck by the caring nature of her, heart rate increasing as she gently examined her ankle, with experienced, skilled hands.

"Anyway, what's your name?" Delia inquired, eager to learn more about the beautiful woman.  
"Patsy... but Nurse Mount to you!" Patsy grinned, winking playfully.  
"Yes nurse," Delia giggled. "I'm Delia."  
"So I suppose we could call this little meeting Deels on wheels," laughed Patsy, gaining a snort from Delia, who quickly tried to cover up her undignified outburst.

Patsy glanced up from tending to Delia's ankle, with a cute half smile which played havoc with Delia's feelings. Patsy moved her eyes from Delia's hair, down to her lips before looking back up and locking eyes with Delia, quietly impressed by the confidence she possessed, drawn in by her adorable awkwardness, and that accent!

Was Delia imagining it or was that a flirtatious smile? She had been entirely wrong about these situations in the past, but she had never felt this strongly about any girl at first sight, and surely she wasn't imagining the connection they seemed to have?

Taking a risk, attempting to look nonchalant and natural, Delia subtly asked, "who do you live with? Boyfriend... partner?"  
Patsy responded with a sweet nose crinkle, saying with certainty, "No... there are certain things men lack, and certain things they have too much of-for me," Patsy laughed, "if you know what I mean."  
Delia could hardly contain the ecstatic rush flowing through her, the sound of the cars and the steady clip-clopping of shoes along the street disappearing into oblivion. 

"All done," Patsy announced, smiling cheerily, pulling the leg of the jeans back down. Delia had completely forgotten what Patsy was actually doing these, and looked down to see that her ankle had been expertly bandaged.  
"A good nurse always carries emergency supplies in case of an encounter with Deels on wheels," laughed Patsy, trying to subtly amuse Delia, without attempting to flirt, which she had never exactly been gifted at.

Reaching out a hand to help Delia stand, the two individually searched their minds to think of a subtle way to extend their time together, neither wanting to end their meeting and separate after both feeling the formation of a powerful connection.

Delia, standing comfortably now, looked up at Patsy, who was already intently watching her, and the two women stayed with their eyes locked together for a long moment, each desperately thinking of a way to stay together.

Delia's face lit up suddenly. "Seeing as I almost killed you with my wheels, the least I can do is buy you a coffee, what do you say?"  
Relieved, Patsy smiled, and Delia led the way to Val's Coffee, limping slightly in her haste to introduce Val to Patsy. 

Approaching the quaint little coffee shop, the two talked about everything - their likes, dislikes, hobbies, passions, childhoods, families. Patsy felt invigorated talking to Delia; as a relatively private and somewhat reserved person, she had never felt so comfortable with someone, never felt able to so openly and freely express her thoughts, hopes, dreams and desires.

"Here we are," smiled Delia, pushing the frosted glass door open to let Patsy enter first. Flashing an affectionate smile at Delia, Patsy stepped into the cafe, hit by the warm smell of coffee, cinnamon and fresh baking. Delia gently touched Patsy's arm, guiding her towards a cosy two seater table with a deep red rose and a vibrant yellow sunflower arranged perfectly in an intricate, delicate vase in the middle of the table, away from the hustle and bustle of the center of the cafe, in its own private area by the window, where Delia sat daily to people watch while she drank generously sugared tea.

"Deels," called Val from behind the counter. Waving excitedly, Delia made her way up to the counter, where Val raised her eyebrows meaningfully, asking, "who's your friend?" Unable to contain her excitement any longer, a smile burst across Delia's face, the excitement bubbling out of her like a fountain.  
"Her name's Patsy, and I'm trying to think of how to ask her to go out sometime... but I don't know how!"  
Val signaled urgently with her eyes behind Delia, where Patsy was approaching.  
"Oooh, eclairs!" exclaimed Patsy, adding, "my guilty pleasure," with a happy laugh. Ordering a hot chocolate and an eclair for Patsy, and tea and victoria sponge for Delia, Val smiled cheerily, saying, "sit down, I'll bring them over," flashing a discreet thumbs up to Delia.

"How long have you lived here?" Patsy asked Delia, eager to discover as much about the Welsh cutie as possible.  
"Five years to the day," answered Delia. "I grew up in Pembrokeshire but I always felt drawn to somewhere like this. Unique, not too rural but not too busy, it's just perfect really, although my mam wasn't too keen on me moving to England, I'm the only child you see, so she's always been a bit on the protective side, which is nice but can get a bit much sometimes!" Patsy watched Delia as she spoke, taking in every ounce of information, hanging onto her every word, smiling to herself at the way she said "mam".

Whistling chirpily, Val brought their order over, studying the pair and thinking to herself how good they looked together and how well they seemed to connect.

"Hi, I'm Val," she introduced to Patsy. "Very nice to meet you," Val emphasised, perhaps a little too obviously, before smiling again at the pair and returning to her position behind the counter, a curious watchful eye on her best friend and Patsy.

Picking up her mug, Delia went bright red and stifled a laugh as she saw the winking face drawn on the mug in black marker, in Val's signature handwriting.

Noticing Patsy had seen the drawing, Delia blushed and looked away sheepishly, but Patsy only laughed breezily, and cautiously, not wanting to make assumptions, said, "I think maybe someone low key ships us," with a cheeky half smile, which soon blossomed into a full, uncontained, elated laugh, which spread to Delia, who watched, captivated, at the adorable way in which Patsy wrinkled her nose as she laughed, completely unrestrained as she tossed her head back, eyes alive with light and laughter.

Recovering from their outburst, Delia saw that Patsy had a spot of cream from the eclair on her nose. Giggling, she picked up a napkin, reaching across the table to wipe it away, her hand lingering for a little longer than necessary, electricity ricocheting between the two as their eyes remained locked in contact. 

Half an hour later, following more conversations about every topic imaginable, more laughter, and more of the now very obvious, undeniable connection between the pair, they gathered their belongings and began to make their way out of the cafe, saying goodbye to Val as they did so, who mouthed "good luck" to Delia, winking cheekily. 

Standing close together on the quiet streets, the calm sounds of the sea and the calls of various birds in the background, Delia nervously asked, "so what are you up to tomorrow?" trying to maintain eye contact while fear and excitement bounced around inside her.  
Patsy smiled, exhilarated, "same time, same place?" she ventured, biting her lip to stop a goofy smile stretching out across her face. Delia grinned, feeling happier than ever before.  
"It's a date," she confirmed, a flirtatious tone to her voice, finishing with a wink for added effect. 

Smiling at each other for a few long moments, each woman's face an exact copy of the other's, they flashed a last excited smile at each other, both willing the next day to arrive quickly to see each other again. 

Briefly brushing hands as they parted, sending warm shocks through each of them, Delia playfully said, "see you tomorrow," as they each returned home, feeling entirely different to how they had that morning leaving them, feeling completed, feeling whole.


	2. Chapter 2

Delia followed the familiar path towards Val's Coffee, buzzing with excitement as she thought of seeing Patsy again. She had continuously played their meeting in her head, filled with warmth as she remembered Patsy's touch, an unfamiliar sensation sweeping over her as she relived the powerful shock of electricity that had pulsed through her when their hands had brushed as they parted. Filled with anticipation, Delia reached Val's Coffee, looking excitedly from left to right, awaiting Patsy's arrival, twirling a stray strand of hair around her index finger, trying to look nonchalant but failing to mask the elated excitement that shone on her face.

Nervously, Patsy paused outside a shop window, inspecting her reflection. A wide-eyed woman stared back at her, a look of terror upon her expertly made up face, courtesy of Trixie, and she angrily shook herself, her nerves feeling like a thousand miniature dancers leaping around her heart and stomach. Her uncontrollable nerves were threatening to overwhelm her, as she revisited previous dates in her mind, remembering how disastrous they had been. She'd never met anyone like Delia before, and her knees were in danger of buckling as she realised how much she wanted this, how much she wanted to make it happen with them.

 _Pull yourself together, Patience,_ she mentally told herself firmly, the stern yet loving voice in her mind mirroring her mother's, causing her eyes to burn as they threatened to fill with tears at the memory of the gentle, caring woman. Knowing how much her mother would have loved Delia gave Patsy confidence, and a strong determination to be herself, rather than hide her true colours as she had done on past occasions, afraid of bearing too much of herself. Taking a deep breath, she turned the corner. 

Her eyes found Delia, and a smile broke across her face as her eyes scanned over her, involuntarily letting out an affectionate chuckle as her eyes landed on Delia's black converse shoes, which, to Patsy, were the perfect match for the deep blue knee-length dress she wore. Feeling as if she had already known Delia for years, Patsy's nerves ebbed away as Delia turned and their blue eyes met, sparks flying between them as Patsy quickened her pace to meet Delia. 

"Hello Pats," Delia smiled, watching the way Patsy's hips lightly moved from side to side as she walked towards her.  
Patsy returned her smile with enthusiasm, and she surprised herself by considering hugging the adorable Welsh woman, instead placing a manicured hand on Delia's arm, noticing the strength of her muscles.

"I'm loving this dress," Patsy complimented a flustered Delia, who had grown heated at Patsy's unexpected touch. 

"Th-thanks," breathed Delia, drawing her eyes away from where Patsy's skin met hers, overcome by her touch, her senses heightened in Patsy's presence. 

Realising with a jolt that her hand had lingered over Delia's muscular upper arm for more than a few moments than necessary, Patsy quickly whipped her hand away, covering up her embarrassment by clearing her throat and running a hand through her shoulder-length hair.

"No wheels today?" she asked Delia playfully.

Delia laughed, Patsy's husky voice driving her wild.

"Not today," she replied with a grin. "You haven't seen the last of Deels on wheels though, I assure you!"

"Glad to hear it!" exclaimed Patsy.

Delia regarded Patsy thoughtfully. She thought of her childhood in Pembrokeshire, remembering how she ran through the green fields in the rain, remembering riding horses, climbing trees and learning to ride her skateboard, how she had gone home each day to her mother berating her about her constantly dirty, grazed knees, and how the other girls began to avoid her as they grew older, how at thirteen she'd become more and more distant from them as they discussed boys, giggling and painting each other's nails. Oh, she became interested in fashion and make-up to a certain extent, still preferring to sit in a field all day and read, but exhibiting an interest, but she'd always felt out of place and different somehow, not quite understood. She was well-liked, due to her cheerful, optimistic nature, but she never felt completely free to be herself around people, feeling even more outcast when at sixteen, she acknowledged her sexuality after years of burying it and covering it up with with forced relationships with various boys. She had felt happy most of the time, despite her over-protective parents, but knew she couldn't stay in Pembrokeshire, much as she adored it, leading her to discover Margate, where she felt truly content and free-spirited. Memories flashing through her mind, she couldn't recall any other time she had felt so understood; it was as though Patsy knew her already, she thought to herself. 

"Shall we go in?" Delia asked breezily, snapping out of her thoughts, gesturing to the door. 

"Mmh," agreed Patsy, her voice a mumble as she too was lost in thought, her mind alive as she imagined their day ahead. 

Patsy's eyes moved over Delia as Delia opened the door to the cafe.  
_She's perfect,_ she thought to herself, biting her red lip as she smiled. 

Standing in the short queue, Delia cringed as she became aware of Patsy looking at her feet, turning a deep shade of red.

"The shoes aren't the best finishing touch to the dress, I know," Delia groaned, embarrassed. 

Patsy looked up, smiling as she saw Delia looking at the ground, shifting her feet around.

"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Patsy. "I'm loving these, they're very you." "Which means I like them," added Patsy flirtatiously, half smiling, her eyes shining. 

Filled with happiness, feeling like her heart could burst, Delia looked up through her naturally long eyelashes, her gaze locking with Patsy's, who laughed heartily, the sound setting Delia alight. 

"They're perfect, and really rather fetching," Patsy told her, surprising herself with her confidence in charming the shorter woman, as they approached the counter. 

Val's expression lit up as Patsy and Delia reached the counter. 

"Ah, my two lovebirds," she chirped, teasing Delia, whose eyes widened as she shot Val a look that could kill, to which Val only smiled wider. Patsy, however, giggled, again surprising herself, feeling relaxed and at ease, never before experienced on a date.

Val laughed along with Patsy, as Delia struggled to maintain her annoyed expression, eventually cracking, unable to resist their contagious laughter. 

"What can I get you?" Val asked, laughter subsiding. 

"Two lemonades, please," Delia ordered, as Val busied herself with preparing their drinks.

Handing the drinks over, Patsy pulled out her purse to pay, but Val shook her head, holding a hand out in protest. 

"No, it's on the house," she smiled.

Patsy and Delia grinned back at her gratefully, thanking her before heading back out of the cafe. 

"Oh- I forgot to ask, how's your ankle?" 

"It feels a lot better after you worked your magic," replied Delia, smiling at the memory of their meeting, her bandaged ankle reminding her of the soft touch of the older woman's hands, causing her to quiver slightly. 

As they contentedly strolled along the pavement, Patsy regarded Delia, her eyes lingering on the bare flesh of Delia's strong legs, her eyes resting a beat longer than normal at Delia's curves, stopping for a long while on Delia's full lips, getting carried away as she found herself imagining what it would be like to kiss them, a tingling sensation sweeping through her at the thought of their lips meeting, locked in a passionate kiss. Dragging her eyes away, Patsy guiltily reminded herself that she had only known Delia for a day, she shouldn't be having these thoughts already. Unbeknown to her, however, after she tore her eyes away from the alluring woman, Delia turned to look at her, her thoughts identical to Patsy's as she imagined her hands reaching up to run through Patsy's shining hair, Patsy's arms around her, pressing her close.

"I love this shop!" exclaimed Delia, suddenly, breaking the contented silence, jolting them both out of their romantic thoughts. 

Patsy grinned, loving the way in which enthusiastic Delia's voice emerged high-pitched, oozing excitement, and how her face lit up, like a playful puppy. 

"Show me then," Patsy invited, and Delia cringed as she felt her face form an overly excited, not very attractive expression, but Patsy only laughed as she followed Delia inside. 

Delia breathed deeply, taking in the scent of old books, her favourite scent in the world. Patsy had never visited the homely little bookshop before, and was greeted by shelves upon shelves of hundreds of books. 

"I can see why you love it so much," Patsy observed, running her hand along a shelf of books, she too captivated by the comforting scent of their many pages, finding it amazing that they were surrounded by hundreds, possibly even thousands, of different stories, the life stories of people she didn't even know, the inner workings of the spectacularly creative minds of many authors. 

"There's this one book that I really, really want, I'd honestly die for it - it's a collection of Spanish poetry, but I can't find it anywhere. It's not here, it's not in any other bookshops I know of, not in the library, I cant even find it online," Delia told an attentive Patsy despairingly. 

An idea blossoming in Patsy's mind, she waited until Delia was lost in looking at all the books.

"I've got to make a quick phone call, two ticks and I'll be back"

Once outside the shop, Patsy pulled her phone out of her bag, careful not to get too excited as she rang Cynthia, her quiet, caring friend who owned a huge bookshop, containing all manner of books - old, modern, foreign, and in every genre imaginable.

"Patsy?" answered Cynthia.

"Oh, thank heavens you answered. I've got a little favour to ask..."

Following her conversation with Cynthia, Patsy happily walked back into the shop, her smile widening as she saw Delia waiting for her, still looking rather forlorn at not being able to find the poetry book, although she beamed as she saw Patsy.

"Sorry about that, Deels," Patsy trilled, putting her best acting skills on as she added, "I just had to ring a colleague."

To her relief, Delia didn't question her, and they left the shop, turning to walk towards the sea, where the small fairground was, and all the food vendors were situated. 

"Fancy ice-cream?" asked Patsy.

"Of course I do! I'd never say no to ice-cream!" exclaimed Delia.

"What can I get you ladies?" asked the man running the ice-cream stand, with a pleasant smile.

"I'll have a tub of... chocolate ice-cream please," requested Delia, turning to Patsy to say, "I'm so indecisive, I never know what I want," with a laugh.

"Can I have the lemon sorbet, in a tub too please," asked Patsy, reaching for her purse to pay. Seeing Delia counting out money, she shook her head. "No Deels, I'll get these."

"Are you sure?" 

"I want to buy the woman whose wheels ran me over ice-cream of course. It's not every day something like that happens."

They both laughed heartily as Patsy handed the money over and they walked towards the fairground. 

"I'm not a fan of rides," Delia confessed. "Threw up on the teacups when I was six," she explained.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Patsy relaxed.

"Thank goodness you said that, I hate them," she smiled, chuckling at the image of six year-old Delia. "Anything you do want to go on?" she inquired.

"I do love the ferris wheel."

"I can cope with that," chuckled Patsy, leading the way to the big wheel. 

Patsy climbed into a pod of the wheel, and Delia took her chance to discreetly talk to the man running the ride.

"Can we have a pod of our own?" she requested.

The man responded with a knowing look, nodding and smiling, as Delia clambered in next to Patsy, wanting it to be just them.

As the wheel began to slowly turn, Patsy edged closer to Delia, electric currents pulsing through them as their hips touched, feeling each other's body heat. Turning to look at each other, they both realised they were close enough to smell the perfume on each other's necks, close enough to kiss, simultaneously shaking themselves, as they thought to themselves _it's too soon._

"Ow!" Patsy exclaimed, feeling her hair pulled, realising her silver heart necklace was caught in her hair. 

"Come here," Delia chuckled, placing her strong hands on Patsy's shoulders to turn her. 

A silence broken only by the sound of their heavy breathing emerged as Delia shakily snaked her hand up the back of Patsy's neck, brushing her hair up to reach where her necklace was tangled. She felt Patsy quiver under her touch, and swallowed the tense lump rising in her throat, trying to concentrate only on untangling the necklace from her smooth, soft hair. Patsy breathed deeply under Delia's touch, focusing on trying to keep her breathing steady as Delia's fingers worked the necklace, occasionally brushing the nape of her neck, making her tense and arch her back unconsciously. Delia felt this, working faster as she felt an urge to run her hand down Patsy's spine, as eventually the necklace became free from Patsy's hair, but Delia's hands still lingered, the feel of Patsy's skin tempting her to keep her hands there, before she pulled them away, clearing her throat. Patsy took a deep breath before turning around, her breathing returning to normal but her heart like marching soldiers.

"Thank you," Patsy whispered, smiling.

Looking out of the glass pod, evening was beginning to approach as the sky darkened, the fading light of the sun making the sea sparkle. All of Margate was visible from this height, and the two pointed out their houses to the other, hips still touching. 

As their time on the ferris wheel drew to a close, their pod returning to the ground, the moon was out, a full moon casting a beam of light onto the sea, the sky now a night sky, stars scattered through it, _almost as many stars as the night sky held in Pembokeshire,_ thought Delia. 

"Fancy a walk on the beach?" asked Delia, to which Patsy nodded, smiling broadly.

The beach was deserted, no-one in sight as they stepped down into the sand.

"Oh - shoot," Patsy exclaimed, as her red heeled shoes dug into the sand, almost falling over in the process.

Delia held out her arm, and Patsy took it, holding onto her tightly as she unfastened her shoes, taking them off so her feet felt the cool sand between their toes. Smiling blissfully, Patsy noticed Delia hadn't withdrawn her arm, meeting her eyes and feeling that connection again. Delia began walking, Patsy still on her arm, and taking this as a sign, Patsy linked her arm more firmly through Delia's, so close now that their hips were brushing with each footstep. 

Just before reaching the shimmering sea, Delia slipped her feet out of her shoes, stepping forward so the gentle waves lapped over their toes. Their eyes meeting again, they smiled at each other, intense happiness radiating out of each woman, as they slowly strolled along the edge of the sea, the waves lapping over their feet, arm in arm still.

Without warning, Patsy tripped, falling forward suddenly, her stomach flipping. Delia stepped forward, catching her steadily, turning the woman in her arms to face her. Holding Patsy in her arms, Delia looked at her intently, their blue-eyed gaze meeting. Delia took Patsy's hand, lifting it slightly, locking fingers with Patsy, the moonlight shining down, illuminating their locked hands, as both women looked at their hands for a long moment, lost in each other's touch, lost in each other's feelings, lost in each other.


End file.
